The California Horse Racing Board's JOHN HARRIS announced that he is ending his second stint as Chair and will leave the organization "in the next couple of months." Meanwhile, the BOD elected KEITH BRACKPOOL to replace Harris as Chair for '10 and elected DAVID ISRAEL Vice Chair (BLOODHORSE.com, 1/15).

EXECS:Lotto Team Sport Sales Manager FABRIZIO SPAMPINATO has been promoted to Dir of Sales (Lotto Team Sport)….St. Louis' KMOX-AM Manager of Sports Operations TOM ACKERMAN has been promoted to Sports Dir (KMOX)….Premier Partnerships named JEFF BRUKSCH Manager of Corporate Partnerships in its L.A. HQs and promoted STEPHANIE CHENG to Senior Consultant of its valuation and consulting division (Premier Partnerships)....The Triple-A PCL Nashville Sounds named DARREN FELLER and MIKE GREGORY Senior Corporate Account Execs. Most recently, Feller was GM of the collegiate summer Prospect League Springfield (IL) Sliders, and Gregory previously served as Nashville Sports Council VP/Events (Sounds)….The Vancouver Whitecaps, scheduled to begin MLS play in '11, named former DC United coach TOM SOEHN Technical Dir (THEPROVINCE.com, 1/17)

Heat G DWYANE WADE and VP/Player Programs ALONZO MOURNING have "generated more than $800,000 in aid for earthquake victims in Haiti" (MIAMI HERALD, 1/19). Hornets G CHRIS PAUL is donating $61,616.61 to Wade and Mourning's relief efforts (Hornets). Thunder F KEVIN DURANT has "pledged to donate $100,000" to relief efforts in Haiti (DAILY OKLAHOMAN, 1/19). 76ers C SAMUEL DALEMBERT, who has pledged $100,000 to the cause, is "going to his native Haiti with the aid group Project MediShare to assist with" relief efforts. He is "being excused from practice Tuesday but is expected to play in Wednesday's home game" (AP, 1/19). The Rays will contribute proceeds from next month's Fan Fest, presented by MetroPCS, to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund and Save the Children. The Rays and the Rays Baseball Foundation will make donations totaling more than $50,000 to the two funds (Rays). NYRA "will contribute $5,000 to the American Red Cross" to aid relief efforts (SARATOGIAN.com, 1/18). The Red Cross Sunday collected aid at Santa Anita Park for earthquake relief (BLOODHORSE.com, 1/16).

CLOSED FOR SHOOTING: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Etan Vlessing notes as athletes prepare to compete at the Vancouver Games next month, "film and TV producers have begun to run a gauntlet of road closures and security restrictions in and around the host city." Producers "have been told by Mayor GREGOR ROBERTSON that the downtown core and areas with Olympic venues will be off-limits to location filming during" the Games. Vancouver "will continue to issue film permits for shooting in suburban locales that might stand in for the city" (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 1/19).

BLADES OF GLORY: The GLOBE & MAIL's Eric Duhatschek profiled Ontario-based Black Stone Sports, a company that "manufactures skate-sharpening equipment." The company last year introduced a new sharpening technique, "designed to increase speed without sacrificing grip, that is rocking the hockey world." Known as the Flat Bottom V for the "shape of the cut in the skate blade, it is currently the rage from beer leagues to the big leagues." Players on 22 of the NHL's 30 teams are "using the technique, some of them ... among the top players in the game" (GLOBE & MAIL, 1/16).

Celtics G Rajon Rondo On
Cover Of "Improper Bostonian"

NAMES: Fans at yesterday's Spurs-Hornets game were "able to sign a get well book for Hornets owner GEORGE SHINN, who had successful prostate surgery last Wednesday." The book "will be available for signatures during the next few games" at New Orleans Arena (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/19)....Former NFL agent DANTE DI TRAPANO, who previously repped Patriots WR RANDY MOSS, Thursday was sentenced to one day in federal prison after he admitted to falsifying an '05 bank loan application for $500,000 (CHARLESTON GAZETTE, 1/15)....Baseball HOFer ERNIE BANKS reportedly is "getting into the wine business." Banks was seen with Wirtz Beverage Group President and Blackhawks Chair ROCKY WIRTZ and team President JOHN MCDONOUGH Wednesday at restaurant 437 Rush (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1/19)....Celtics G RAJON RONDO appears on the cover of the latest issue of Improper Bostonian magazine (BOSTON HERALD, 1/18)....Titans Owner BUD ADAMS' West Point Lincoln Mercury dealership in Houston was partially "gutted" yesterday by a "fast-moving fire" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/19)....Magic G VINCE CARTER has hired "more than 125 people at his new Daytona Beach restaurant," which opens today (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 1/19)....Around 700 supporters attended the Ducks Casino Night Friday at Honda Center. The event "benefited Orangewood Children's Foundation for the fifth consecutive year" (LATIMES.com, 1/18)....Bills WR TERRELL OWENS was at Rod Laver Arena Monday, "cheering on his buddy ANDY RODDICK" during his first-round Australian Open match against THIEMO DE BAKKER (NEWS-JOURNALONLINE.com, 1/18).

IN MEMORY: BUD GROSSMAN, who was "part of a group that owned the Minnesota Vikings from" '91-98, died last week of Alzheimer's disease at his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, at the age of 88 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/15).